Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s judicial custody extended till April 23

Delhi’s Rouse Avenue court on Monday extended the judicial custody of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal till April 23, in the money laundering case linked to the excise policy scam.

The Enforcement Directorate had sought a 14-day extension of the Delhi CM’s custody. He will now be produced in court with co-accused K Kavitha on the next date.

On April 9, the High Court dismissed his plea for release from jail and rejected his arguments.

The High Court had said that Kejriwal’s absence from nine ED summons over six months undermined any claims of special privilege as Chief Minister, suggesting his arrest was an inevitable consequence of his non-cooperation.

Earlier, the Supreme Court issued notice to the ED on a plea by Kejriwal challenging his arrest by the agency and his subsequent remand in the excise policy case.

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta refused to give an early hearing of the case, as sought by senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi appearing for Kejriwal.

Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21 in connection with a money laundering probe relating to alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy 2021-22.

The Delhi CM is currently lodged at the Tihar jail.